1. Field of the Art
Generally, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and devices for treatment of the eyes and other areas within the body. More specifically, embodiments relate to implantable devices for capturing small molecule therapeutic agents or waste material and transporting them to and from structures within the body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the United States, the leading cause of blindness is diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by retinal ischemia, that is, inadequate blood flow to the retina caused by capillary nonperfusion. The lack of capillary blood flow starves the retina of oxygen. Retinal vein occlusion also occurs in which small veins that move blood away from the retina are blocked. A subject with retinopathy loses vision over time as retinal cells in his or her eyes die.
Other areas of the body besides the eyes can experience lack of blood flow caused by diabetes or other ailments. Restriction of blood flow to a particular portion of the body is simply called ischemia. Ischemia is often accompanied by hypoxia, which refers to the lack of oxygen (O2) that blood delivers. Ischemic insults often cause severe tissue hypoxia and ultimately tissue death.
Current treatment methods for ischemic diseases are limited and do not necessarily treat the primary cause of the disease—that is, hypoxia. The mainstay of treatment for capillary nonperfusion or areas of ischemia is laser ablation. This treatment is destructive, irreversible, and can cause additional organ loss. Systemic administration of oxygen is also an option, but toting around pure oxygen or scheduling appointments for oxygen injections carries risks and is inconvenient for subjects.
Retinal ischemia can be treated with the above methods, but such treatments in the eye carry additional drawbacks. For example, laser ablation and photocoagulation can result in a constricted peripheral visual field as well as delayed dark adaptation. Other treatments have been developed for the eye, such as intravitreal injections and pars plana vitrectomies. Intravitreal injections often need to be repeated frequently and poses significant risk and cost to the patient and healthcare system. Intravitreal injections use therapeutic agents that only suppress downstream effects of the hypoxia on retinal tissue. A pars plana vitrectomy, which removes a portion of vitreous humor from the eye, may result in insufficient amounts of retinal oxygen while causing cataracts or other potential oxygen toxicity near the lens. Indeed, too much oxygen near the front (anterior) inside of the eyeball near the lens is a bad thing. It can also increase the risk of iris neovascularization as well as elevated intraocular pressure.
Therefore the current armamentarium of treatments for ischemic retinal and other diseases has a number of distinct disadvantages that need to be overcome.